Like a Princess
by Jelly-Bean-Jr
Summary: Most people don't realize that imprinting doesn't always have to be romantic, to imprint is to love and care, to protect and support the person you hold most precious. And if Renesmee decides she's into girls, what else can Jacob do but help his best friend through teenage love? -Renesmee/OC, side: Jacob/Leah


**I don't know, I've always liked the idea of Renesmee and Jacob being best friends/true homies/brotp; never really got into the romantic feel of it, and I also don't like the idea of Jacob being in love with a fast growing infant. Therefor the whole best friend thing is very mutual (no pining between best friends), so if you're looking for a Jacob/Nessie thing, you're going to have to look somewhere else. And, also, heads up, Renesmee is a horribly embarrassing romantic; Jacob just likes to humor her and Leah should have an advice column. **

**Also, I felt that I needed something new to write about other than the typical imprint story, so this is my outlet. **

**I'm looking forward to your feedback!**

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**Chapter one:  
**Love at first sight

"She said she was _curious_," I whisper, staring down at my folded hands. My nails were bitten down to the nub, light green nail polish chipped and flaking, I can't help but think Alice will insist on wrangling me into another manicure the second I get home. The upside to that would be that I could use the distraction. Mindlessly worrying about something as mundane as how presentable my nails look, it would last at least an hour. I could use an hour of distraction.

Jacob makes a weird sort of humming, growling noise at the back of his throat.

"_Curious_? Like she didn't know?" he mutters, leaning across the cheap plastic table and cupping his hands around his mouth as if we were sharing a secret. I try hard not to smile at his naturally theatric behavior. He notices and smiles back, glancing around the mostly empty food court. "So she broke up with you then?" I roll my eyes a little, patting his cheek.

"Well we can't all take one look at a girl and have her be the one, now can we?" It's not really true, given that Jacob and I aren't exactly characters from a Nicholas Spark's novel ourselves, but he still laughs. I can't laugh because, as hard as it is to admit, I _did _think she was the one.

I liked her well enough, in fact, she reminded me of Alice. Well put together, happy, knew how to look good, and we got along well. She was my best friend. Not like Jacob is, of course, but she was the only girl that I actually befriended outside of the family and _wanted _to hang out with. Plus she could kiss like none of my other girlfriends could. God, could she _kiss_.

My head thumps against the table and I groan. I was thinking about her again. Taylor and her pretty, short, curly brunette hair, big brown eyes and dark, tanned skin…

"I was supposed to marry her, Jake," I grumble miserably, turning my cheek against the table to look at his skeptical expression. Except I'm not surprised, Jacob always needs a little convincing to see things my way. Giving a heavy sigh I slap him on the cheek and keep my hand there, fully prepared to give him the front row seat of mine and Taylor's perfect white wedding. Instead he grabs a hold of my wrist and lowers my hand back down to the table, giving it an empathetic pat.

"Ness, we kind of go through this with all of your girlfriends. I have seen every single wedding that you've envisioned in full frontal detail. I think it's safe to say that Taylor is no diff-"

"She _is _different, Jake. Or at least was. The center pieces were going to be sunflowers! _Sunflowers_! Do you know how ugly they'd be?" Resisting the urge to bury my face in my hands I just look to Jacob's face. "But at the same time they remind me of Taylor – and Taylor's not ugly," I rush to say, seeing his raised eyebrow, "so the sunflowers would be fitting. Alice agreed." Jacob sputters, his other eyebrow rising to join the other in surprise.

"_Agreed_, as in you _already_ discussed your wedding plans with your aunt for you and your girlfriend? The _same_ girlfriend you've only dated for a _month_?" I know Jacob is trying to make a point, hence his emphasis on words. But truth be told, it didn't matter how long or how short I've been seeing someone. You either break up with the person you're involved with, or you spend the rest of your life together. Jacob should know by now that I'm an optimist.

"You make it sound so creepy. What's wrong with being prepared?"

"What's _wrong_ is how much you're let down when your girlfriends don't show as much commitment to you as you do to them. It's not fair on you to set such high expectations so early on. You should enjoy what you have instead of focusing on the future." My shoulders slump and I lift my head up from the gross table. Jacob's right. Of course he's right.

"We would be a match-made in heaven if you had boobs," I sigh dramatically, throwing my hands up in exasperation. Jacob tilts his head back and laughs.

"Oh yeah, I can see it. You plan our wedding and I shove reality down your throat." I snort. He's not wrong, and I won't lie, I have planned mine and Jacob's wedding; an outdoors wedding, believe it or not. Of course it was back when I was much smaller; around the time my family had the dispute with the higher up vampires from Italy. I was new to the world, Jacob by my side, the essence of _forever_ and _happy endings _floating around. It made sense to marry Jacob. Everyone thought I was going to marry Jacob. _Jacob _thought I was going to marry Jacob.

13 years later and Jacob's physically fit shape-shifter body is impressive, but not _impressive_.

Leah on the other hand…

Let's just say that my dad's face when that particular thought came into my mind way back when was something I've never seen before. It would have been a funny moment if I hadn't been so caught off guard as well. Sure, before then, girls were graceful, intelligent and beautiful, but never have I…thought anything so impure.

And now, 4 years after that incident I have had a handful of girlfriends: Bryn, a short Quileute girl I met on La Push beach, we were going to have a traditional church wedding with all white and lace. Then there was Jillian, a tall blonde who immediately let me get to second base at a freshman party, our wedding was going to be at the Washington monument with doves and chrysanthemums.

Then there was my more experienced girlfriend, Julia, who was serious and calm, we would have flown out and rented a venue with a skyline view somewhere in New York City. And then there was Sophia, Billie, Catherine, and Katy; all of them traditional weddings in churches with different color schemes and flowers. Except Billie would probably have wanted candle centerpieces to go along with the orchids, it seems like something she'd try to pull off.

And now I had to add Taylor to the list of weddings that will never be. Her and the church wedding with sunflowers, I'd miss out on our inevitable argument about her not wanting to wear a veil, and me being dead set on the idea of flipping the cloth away from her face and kissing her breathless.

Not that it matters anymore.

"Hey, hey, what's with the sad look, Ness? You'll find your girl one day, I know it." I sigh heavily, leaning back in the plastic chair and glancing around the otherwise empty food court. Middle aged couples and lonely elderly people were everywhere, not a single teenage girl.

"I thought I already did find my girl," I mope, looking at him forlornly, "we met at the _library_, Jake. Isn't that how it's supposed to go?" Jacob scratches at the back of his neck, his nose doing that scrunching thing he does when he feels uncomfortable or doesn't know what to say. Also known as the face Jacob pulled when he tried to explain to my mom about his very non-romantic feelings towards me, and his very romantic feelings towards Leah.

What can I say, Leah is gorgeous and I wasn't surprised.

"Don't you think that might be the problem…?" he starts hesitantly, absently sweeping crumbs off the table and not meeting my eyes. "You're viewing real life like it's a movie, you're choreographing the future and that's…an Alice thing?" I scoff, slapping my palm onto the table. The loud clang makes the boy working behind the Cinnabons' counter look up and scowl. Clearing my throat with my best apologetic shrug in his direction I set my hands in my lap and look away. Jacob has the audacity to laugh. One look at my unhappy expression and he quickly sobers up. I sigh and drop my head back to the table, my next words muffled.

"I'm going to die alone." There's a beat of silence that follows.

"Actually," Jacob heaves a heavy sigh, abruptly standing up and changing the subject, "_I _am going to end up dying alone if I don't get Leah her birthday present," he declares. You'd think being reminded of my best friend's happy 3 year relationship with a gorgeous girl would make me feel worse. Although I'm not denying that my heart gives a painful tug, but at the same time it was the kind of distraction I needed. To focus on making my Jake the happiest he can be.

It's definitely something I need and he knows it.

"I love you and your hopelessness," I say, smiling when Jake slings an arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side.

"And I love you and your hope." Cheesy, yes, but it makes me feel better.

"Again," I groan, "_why _don't you have boobs?" To be honest, even if Jacob had boobs I probably wouldn't even think of him more than just my best friend. After all, he and my mom did have a…_thing_. It'd just be a little bit weird.

"Mostly because of Leah," he answers, giving a half-hearted shrug. Speaking of Leah…

"What does she want for her birthday anyways?" I ask, already knowing the answer. "Lingerie? Cookbooks?" Jacob gives me a weird look on the last one. I don't know why, I've always liked Leah's cooking. "Fine, does she want makeup?" Another weird look mixed in with an amused smile and Jake turns into the antique store. I'm fully prepared to bash my head up against the gaudy looking brass mirror frame hanging just inside the store.

Leah wasn't much of an antique collector, but she picks out interesting antique items from time to time, but there is no doubt in my mind that Jacob has no idea what he's doing.

For a moment I'm painfully reminded of Sophia. She always picked out terrible gifts and never kept receipts. It was adorable at the time and I was fully prepared to put that little tidbit in my vows to get a good laugh from both of our families. And then we'd probably kiss, but would have to pull back because we were smiling so much.

"Hey, what do you think about this? Do you think Leah will like it?" I look up and get an eyeful of a dusty, dark wooded jewelry box.

"I thought Leah didn't wear jewelry because-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, I'll keep looking." Laughing I shake my head and wander over to look at the glass sculptures near the check-out desk. Just five more minutes of Jacob picking out the wrong gift before he demands that I call Leah on my cell to ask her straight up what she wants, and then we'll end up going to Victoria's Secret to pick out lingerie. Just like last year (and the year before). Not that there's much to complain about, the fun is in the error.

"Can I help you with anything?" Looking up from a pretty glass made mermaid figurine I end up staring into captivating blue eyes.

"Oh, yes, I guess so," I smile, picturing those blue eyes slightly obscured behind a thin, birdcage veil, her long brown curls fashioned into an updo. God, I did have a problem, didn't I? "My friend over there," I say, pointing to Jacob who just kind of waves, looking incredibly disheartened, "is looking for a present for his girlfriend and he's kind of hopeless, any ideas?" She laughs kind of breathy-like, in a way that makes it hard to hear anything else. Her nametag says Arielle. It's kind of ironic actually, having met her while looking at mermaid statues and it makes my cheeks heat up.

"I know what you mean, boys are absolutely clueless." Her hand goes up to twirl at a piece of her hair, blue eyes fluttering and it's so _enchanting_. A princess name for a princess. "I can't tell you enough _how_ many hints I have to drop for my boyfriend before he gets the right idea." _Oh_. She shakes her head, a bounce in her step when she walks over to Jacob, a cheery, customer-friendly smile painted on her face. It's hard not to feel disappointed. Jacob smiles at her before glancing over at me quick enough for us to exchange a look.

"Hey, Nessie, do you think you could call Leah? You know, just in case I can't find anything."

Sometimes I feel that Jacob reads my mind better than my dad does.

"Sure thing, Jake," I salute; sparing Arielle another look and a polite smile before high-tailing it out of there.

Leah picks up on the second ring.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure, _Renesmee_?" I scoff, looking skywards.

"Just the obvious," I answer back, having trouble keeping my smile at bay. Judging from Leah's famous snort laugh she wasn't fairing much better at keeping up a hostile pretense.

"As flattering as that is, I'm not into spoiled 16 year old teenage girls."

"I am _17_. I'm nearly an adult."

"Nearly," she agrees offhandedly while I try not to let my eyes linger on the girl with blue hair in the Starbucks line. "Look," she huffs and I hear rustling over the line, "I know this isn't about my birthday; you're not stupid, and my tastes are predictable, so what's bothering you, kid?" I plop down on an empty wooden bench outside a bakery, chewing at my thumbnail.

Leah and I have gone a long way and haven't always seen eye to eye. In fact, she hardly bothered with me for the first 5 years I've known her. It wasn't a secret that Leah Clearwater found the vampire/human hybrid unsettling. There was also no secret that it took Leah and my mother a long time to see eye to eye. I never really had anything against Leah, as far as I knew she was Jacob's second in command and really funny. Not that she ever _tried _to be funny; everything she said was more of an underhanded, witty insult if anything. She always did look kind of surprised when I laughed.

But now that I think about it, I think I probably had a crush on Leah. I always did have a weird obsession about wanting to see her smile.

"Do you think I'm creepy?" The words tumble out of my mouth with little to no brain filter.

"Since the day you were born."

"Ugh, no, that didn't come out right. What I meant was…do you think…that I'm _creepy_?" I stress, trying to grasp at the right words. "In my relationships, you know. With the…" I trail off; Leah clicks her tongue softly over the phone.

"There's nothing wrong with seeking out love and commitment, Nessie. That's all I ever really thought about when I was with Sam. Hell, sometimes I even think about it with Jacob. It's a natural cliché, it's expected of us."

"Yeah but, you've…it was only one person that broke your heart. And now you have Jacob and you two are _so _perfect."

"There's no such thing as a perfect relationship, you know that." It's hard not to feel like a child at that. It's the one thing Leah always liked to remind me way back when she actually started to talk to me. _I know I'm going to sound like a calloused bitch here, kid, but don't expect a fairy tale ending to drop down in your lap like it did for your mommy._

It was funny at the time because I remembered the day I was born – how closely my mom came to dying. How ready everyone was to kill me.

That doesn't happen in fairy tales.

"I have had eight relationships, Leah," I whisper into the phone, "none of them…not _one _said 'I love you' to me. Two of them didn't even want to hold my hand, and the longest relationship I've had was 6 months. That's not fair." I can hear Leah breathing evenly over the phone and I cross my legs, eyes flittering over my surroundings.

"What isn't fair is that you're too caught up in a fantasy that you can't enjoy the reality. You need to take a step back sometimes, Nessie, and ask yourself if you're actually seeing the person in front of you, or just someone you want them to be." There's a lump steadily building in my throat. I don't know what to say to that.

"I'm sorry," I choke out, wiping a stray tear from the corner of my eyes, minding my makeup and doing my best not to smudge it.

"I hate myself for saying this, and I'll probably shove my head in a blender afterwards…stop trying to find love, and let it find you. You're young and probably going to live forever; stop rushing and just live. Also, get me something strapless." The laugh bubbles in my throat and comes out before I can stop it.

"Our wedding was going to be in your backyard with wildflowers, and I was going to wear a tuxedo," I say instead of 'thank you'. Leah hangs up with a scoff.

"Would you like a sample? Today our special is- oh crap, shit. I'm sorry. I'm bothering you, I'm really sorry; I just thought that since you were sitting there..." I look up to see amber eyes that make my heart stutter and practically sing.


End file.
